The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-03-10
DOMINION OVER WILD ANIMALS.
Tho Ease with Which Unarmed Men
Subdue Beasts In Nenageries.

The Ease with Which Unsrmed Men
Subdue Beasts In ,fenageries.
Those who have carefully observed the
management of wild animals in men,
sgeries, geological gardens and in the peus
of the animal dealers must at times have
been astonished at the ease with which
hired men, comparatively unarned. sub
due beasts which we have been taught
yield only to the blazing rifle, and fight
gaimely until death. A lion escapes from
his cage and crouches at the darkened end
of the menagerie. Remembering the stories
we have read Of the ferocity of this beast
and Of the terrible scenes at the lion hunt,
we can imagine only one mode of action.
The keepers should arm themselves with
rifles, hide behind barriers, and open q
rapid fire upon him. To our surprise, they
don't do this. They simply wheel a great
cage up to him, fall upon him with clubs,
and thrash away until he enters it. s..s'
s. A few weeks ago an anaconda seven
teen feet long brolrs away while being
carried across public park in New York
city. With vivid pictures of the exploits
of this reptile in the Amazon watershed
before our eyes, we expect to see him fall
upon the nearest human being, enfold him
in his tolls and crush him to Jelly.
Surely 1t will take armed and resolute
men to capture him! No; on the con-
trary, this Is not required, and it must
have been with a feeling akin to disap-
pOintment that those who had read of tho
ferocity of the anaconda saw one man
armed only with a blanket, advance and
seize him by the throat, while two others,
also unarmed, grasp his tail, and then the
trio, still holding on, carry him through
the streets and thrust him back into the
den wheace he had been taken. --.a
Not long since the writer saw Mr.
Thomson, dealer in live animals, omen a
box containing an anaconda, quite ms long
as this one, take the reptile by the throat
and calmly examine his mouth, opened
though 1t was in rage, to look for cancer
Gus humors. Then from adjoining shelves
he took python after python, each about
ten feet long, and examined them in like
manner. At the place of another dealer
tReiche,, big, powerful Syrian bear, a
type known for its ferocity, was Subdued
without the firing of a shot. The bear
broke through iron bars half an inch
thick, and, standing up with his back
against cage of monkeys, thrust his ter
rible paws threateningly toward three
keepers gathered about him. He didn't
have chance to use them, however, for
get back again into his cage
On pedestal near the gate Of the Gin,
cinnati Geological gardens there recentiv
stood the stuffed figure of donksr which.
when alive, withstood the attack of a hon
and beat him of. The don, it seems, had
broken out Of his safe and escaped TO a
wood near by. On a grassy .hiilock, ad-
joining, a donkey lay stretched in placid
slumber-a slumber that was rudely dis.
turbed by the lion, who In few bounds,
was upon him. When the donkey felt
the great mass Of flesh descend upon him
as If from the clouds, he was stunned and
indignant, but not frightened, perhaps be-
cause he had never read any Of the won
derful stories about the lion. He quickly
recovered from the blow, and, rising, shot
out both hind feet at the same tirne. and
caught the lion squarely in the forehead,
Badly hurt, the lion skulked Off, and
later the donkey died of the wound he re.
ceired ut the onset.--Scientific American.